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IRVINGTON, N.Y. -- Fourth-graders at Main Street School recreated the experience of early 1900's immigrants from Europe during their annual Immigration Day.

In this annual district event, on June 9, students role-played as immigrants, while volunteers served as official inspectors and immigration agents, all dressed in period costume.

“It’s wonderful to see how the students’ faces light up when they tell stories about their grandparents and great-grandparents coming to America,” said fourth-grade teacher Scott Andrasko. “They feel so proud of the information they learned from their parents at home.”

“It was a pretty cool and nerve-racking experience, because I really felt like I was at Ellis Island,” said fourth-grader Alex Pollack.

Students rotated among various stations that replicated the frustration and uncertainty experienced by immigrants. The adult re-enactors conducted mock medical exams and intensive personal interviews with the students, approved or rejected their passport applications, handed out and graded the students’ personal information forms, inspected baggage, and even held a mock deportation of selected “immigrants,” all providing an unforgettable interactive experience that brings history to life.